Towel-bar fixture.



' H. KROEDEL. TOWEL BAH FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. ll. 1916.

Patented Oct. 1, 1918.

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VToull 'wimmelt may concermf r Y Beitknown that IIANs KnonDnL, of Richmond Hill, Long Island, inthe county of QueenspState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towel-BarFixtures; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being l had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon;

in bath rooms or similar locations for sup- 'l `15 My present invention `has for its object to provide a fixture or holder such as is used porting towels and other toilet articles, and it relates particularly to a novel arrange-` ment of parts for4 securing the ends of the rod or towel support in the posts or standards on which it is mounted.` More specifically my invention has for its object to provide means which are-adapted to coperate with the` glass rods which are customarily employed as towel bars' for gripping their ends firmly and holding them'on the supporting invention i Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of one end of the bar and its supporting post or standard;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line ESL-3* of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the clutch member shown in assembled position on one of the ends of the rod, and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the collar in which the clutch jaws are mounted.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

In the manufacture of towel bar fixtures,

especially those in which glass rods are employed, as the supporting member, considerable ditliculty is experienced in obtaining a tight t between the ends of the bars and the posts or standards by means of which they are secured to a Wall or other support. This is due particularly to the fact that the `glass rods are not of uniform diameter throughout, and while the parts may be c l TownnfBAn FIXTURE.

Speeiiicatcn of Letters Patent.

VA closely fitted in the iirst instance at the fa`cftory, this adjustment may beldisturbed at least so far as one end of the rod isiconcerned, if the purchaser shortens it.

In carrying Out'my invention I employ a clutch composed of a plurality of members.` each of which comprises an outer gripping portion and an inner angularly dis-posed end which coperates with the end of the rod, Sothat the greater the force expended in pushingthe support or standard onto the rod. the greater is the gripping action, irrespective of slight variations in the diameter of the rod. In the illustrations 1 indicates the towel bar `proper held at its ends in the Y Y ,y Patented Uct. l, i918. fb `application filed Novemberii, 151e. serial No; 130,759.

posts or standards 2-2 secured by suitable fasteningdevices to a wall or other object indicated by 3. The outer ends 4 of the supporting members are hollow and may be made in spherical form as shown, although it will be understood that the general shape or configuration of the headis unimportant, and further it may be made either of a sheet metal stamping or as a solid casting, although I prefer to form the parts of sheet metal. 'c In making the head` it is provided with a circular opening or aperture bounded by the flange 5 having an outwardly extending lip or rim 6. becured axially in the aperture is a collar 7 which is held in place by the radially extending rim Shavingthe edgefor bead 9 which is pressed or spun over the rim or lip 8. The collar 7 defines the sizeof thelaperture7 is preferably made in a separate piece and is provided with a plurality of elongated slots 10 which are utilized as recesses or dentures in which the fulcrum points 11 of the clutch members are seated.

The several clutch members, of which four are shown, extend axially of the aperture in the head or supporting member 4: and each comprises a curved plate comprising an outer end 12 and an inner end 13 disposed angularly thereto, thus providing the clutch member with an inner recess and a point or hip on its exterior, by which it may have pivoted contact with the wall of the aperture. The inner ends 13 converge toward the axis of the aperture and are of sulicient length to overlap the extremity of the bar 1, so that they act as levers for forcing the ends 12 into close en agement with the periphery of the rod. TlIie several segments of the clutch members are assembled within the collar 7 and each preferably has a lug or `tion may beinade in varioussizes.

projection l1 on its outer surface resting in one of the recesses 10 to prevent its longitudinal displacement. The several parts are held in this position independently of the towel bar by means of an expansible spring ring 14, the diameter of which is greater than that ofthe bar l, and is accommodated in the angular space provided by theinner recesses in the jaws formed by their angular shape which makes it possible to assemble these members at the factory and :to allow them to remain in operative position at all times, thus obviating the necessity of the purchaser` exerting any `skill 4in assembling theparts in the` first instance, or in the event -lie should at any fut-ure time wish-to remove `theixture andreinount it in` a. new position.

,opening surrounded by a liange,z'uid a bar arranged with its end within said opening, of a plurality oit `Jaws pro]ecting partiy vwithin the vsupport surroundingand engaging the bar and held by the latter in contact with theperiphery of the opening in the support.

2. Ina towel bar fixture, the combination with a support having an aperture, a collar seated in said aperture, of a -bar positioned with its end in the aperture and a clamping jaw pivoted in said collar having an outer gripping end, and an inner angularly disposedend adapted to be engaged by the end ofthe bar to eiiiect a tilting of the jaw and cause its outer end to bear against the periphery of the bar when the ,parts aie moved relatively toward each-other.

3. In` a-towelbar tixture, the combination with a support having an aperture, of a plurali ty of gripping members each. comprising outer and inner angularly disposed-portions :toi-ming an exterior hip adapted to cooperate with and 4forni pivotal i points iirengagement with the 1 wall of the aperture/,1 means within said hip for holdingthe jaws ,expanded in contact withvthe wall of thelaperture, kand a `rod inserted within said `iaws.

serving to hold the-hips `in pivotalicontact with the wall of the aperture.

5. A'holder 'for towel bars comprising a hollowsupport having anaperture, acellar therein having recesses, `and a plurality Aof clutch jaws positioned within the collarand I,provided with `projections `pivotally engaging saidrecesses.

.6. Aholder toi-,towel bars-comprising a .hollow sheetsnietal support provided with an aperture surrounded by an. annul.a-i1lip,.a col- `lardisposed `axially inthe, aperture provided .with recesses and having,airadially projecting `flange. arranged with itsV edge embracing said lip, and apluralityof clutchjaws located within the collar .and having portions thereon journaled in saidi'ecesses.

HANS KROEDEL.

Copies of this patent may bel obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of,.1? atents, Washington, D. C. 

